The Eternal Soundtrack
by Guttersnipe
Summary: Track8:Breaking:“I’ll never hurt you. You know that, don’t you?” he spoke quietly, blue eyes watching her. “I know, but...I will hurt you,” she answered, her voice gentle, easing his heart over the cliff. One-sided NarutoXSakura, peripheral SakuraXSasuke
1. Track 1: One Thousand Apologies

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"One Thousand Apologies" belongs to Demon Hunter.

**Track 1: One Thousand Apologies**

Armageddon has been gifted upon her world. Every joy and love, the constants and the needs in her life are self-destructing right before her bright green eyes. Life is corroding at an alarming rate, pulling with it the hope of tomorrow and the peace of an intact mind. Cracks within time itself seem to be forming about her, threatening to rend her reality to shards of the truths she once knew, and only barely now holds onto.

Her family is dying.

Half a kilometre away, her best friend---her brother---is in his death throes, as energy, like hell fire, spews in an animalistic form about him. He is disappearing. Within that cloak of dark intent, he is dissolving into nothingness, as the beast consumes him from the inside out.

With not even the presence of mind to scream in agony, as the menacing chakra he is drowning in burns his body to basic carbon, he is at the point of no return. Already, seven whips of energy---bestial tails that can level an entire village with one swipe---are dancing about his crouching, deformed body.

Two more and Uzumaki Naruto will cease to exist.

And not far from that realized incubus, stands her first teacher---her quirky uncle or her very young and offbeat father, she has never decided which.

He is dying, just as surely as Naruto is dying. The injuries he has sustained from the angry lashes of those demon tails are more than enough to kill ten men. But Hatake Kakashi is not one to let numbers and manpower get in his way. He has a job to do---a duty to Konoha and to his students; the one who is disassembling within the essence of the evil he was sealed with; the one who is watching in horror from five hundred metres away, unable to help for lack of chakra and debilitating injuries, also from the Kyuubi tails and; the one who is battling his own inner demon, as he is slowly losing himself to the terrible power of the curse that sits so innocently upon his neck.

Not one hundred metres behind her, he is dying as well.

Lost in a world of swirling black and deep purple auras that suffocate the soul, is the last member of her unconventional family---not her brother, nor her friend, he is her lover, albeit an absent lover, who is not even in consent to holding such a title in her heart.

He is massacring any who dare set foot within a fifty metre radius of him, literally rending their limbs from their bodies, mangling them beyond recognition of them even once being human.

And he is laughing.

The maniacal laughs and sadistic grin that accompanies the screams of anguish and crunching of bones and tearing of flesh are making her heart feel as though it is in the place of those doomed shinobi. Though they are the enemy, they are still human, and the end they are meeting, as she watches with horror-struck eyes, is as far from humane as it can be.

Uchiha Sasuke is falling into the death of the soul, as he draws ever nearer to the precipice where he will cease to be anything but a demon from Hell's Hell.

But she cannot allow that. If he dies to himself, then so will she, her heart and soul being swallowed by a void of despair. And Naruto too, will pass from their world, the Kyuubi gaining free reign once again, as it is unstoppable, to all but one. And Kakashi will die as well, his finely honed shinobi skills simply not a match for the mysterious power of the demon fox he is so valiantly opposing (for his team's---no, his _family's_ sake).

Team Seven will perish if she does not do something quick. Her chakra depleted and her body wounded, Sakura has little to offer in terms of her shinobi talents. The battle that resulted in her current nightmare is responsible for that.

At a loss, she casts a despairing look at her friend and sensei, as the eighth tail begins to emerge from the sinister energy choking Naruto. There is no salvation for them if she is to focus her efforts upon the Kyuubi. She knows her limitations.

Desperate hope lights her eyes as she turns them upon her lost boy. Transformed into something almost unrecognizable---were it not for his blood red eyes---she still sees the boy who inhabits her heart as an absent occupant. He is still there…somewhere. And she knows the only thing she can do right now is to try to bring him back to himself.

She has done it once before, but that had been different. He had been in stage one, not stage two. And he had never used the curse seal before. It did not have the hold over him that it does now. She is not certain that she can help him in the state he is in. Perhaps he is too far gone. Perhaps she will be of no use after all. But she will try. Even if trying is all she will accomplish, she will see it through. Their lives depend on it.

_//There you stood in disbelief,  
Trying all you could to see through these lies  
And every word that I could breathe,  
Would find you more inclined to leave,  
But I tried, I tried//_

Somewhere in the back of what once was his mind, there is screaming. A heart wrenching, soul wasting, cry that makes his irrepressible rage pale in comparison to its intensity. Somewhere back there, hiding under the glow of a dark moon, he is sending out a plea for fury's end; for the blood to cease flowing from innocent veins.

But for all the passion in his resistance, it is futile. The Devil's grip is taking over, crushing the throat of reason, and suffocating its intent with bloodstained hands. His soul will (_finally_) belong to the Darkness soon. And the rivers will run black with the stagnancy of rotten blood, as his corrupted form draws the life out of all _it_ sees.

He is dying… But he barely registers that vital fact. Deliverance is a ghost's breath, skating across the frozen Abyss---impossible, even if Hell did freeze over.

Then suddenly… Warmth. Alien warmth from an equally alien _thing_ is seeping into his (_dark and cold, like the bottom of the tempestuous sea_) being. And it is…disgusting. Disgusting in how (_selfless_) human it is. He is no such creature. Not anymore. So he cannot comprehend this _thing's _actions toward him. At least, not as anything other than a threat. (_Warmth brings cracks to frozen lands. Cracks are dangerous, harmful. Warmth can only bring destruction and pain to one who is incapable of feeling such weak sensations any longer (or anything else, for that matter…)._)

"Stop! Please stop!" the (_insignificant, soft, fragile---though that embrace is strong_) _thing _cries out, voice muffled by his back, the roars of the red demon in the distance, and his own hell screams.

He whirls around, eyes gouging at the _intruder's_ soul with malice. He vaguely registers that his left hand and arm feel something warm and wet encase them, but his violent mind does not deem such information worthy of its attention. Rather, this _thing _that dares to approach him, behind his back no less, is the focus of his wrathful eyes. The small detail that the _thing _is in fact a girl, a young woman by all estimation, also barely registers. She is a threat that begs to be extinguished. Her audacity to (_warm his frozen soulscape_)embrace and (_show concern? Are those tears?_) make requests of him are more than enough reason for him to do just that.

_//And knowing what I've done to you,  
With every thought you suffer through  
My heart as black as evil can  
And everything I could have been,  
Erased by what I wanted then  
I couldn't think a lesser man//_

The girl's eyes widen for a moment, just a moment, realizing what has just happened, then return to their proper state, acceptance setting in. It will be alright. So long as she brings him back to his proper self, it will all be worth it. This is but a stumble; she will finish what she started.

"You have to stop Sasuke-kun. _Please_," she (_begs_) says (_desperately_) strongly.

And that voice… That voice is enough to form a cool lake in the glacier of his internal being. It conveys many things, but it is never confusing, nor convoluted. When it asks for something, it is really _offering_ something; something far greater and more sacrificial than what he will ever be willing to give. (_The warmth seeps in deeper, making its way into his very core. Rivers form. Glacial water flows._)

A soul breathes again.

_//All the delicate ways  
That I deepened our graves  
My apology pales_

Oh, the pain in your eyes  
My regrets have never known such sorrow  
Oh, the shame that you hide  
Resolutions are the same tomorrow//  


He collapses to his knees, head resting against her shoulder, right arm wrapped around her waist.

She strokes his shoulders and hair, comfortingly. With the monster repressed, he resembles a little boy more than ever. A lost little boy…

Part of her realizes that he will be all the more lost in only a few moments. But until then…she has found him again.

"You have to stop Naruto, Sasuke-kun. You're the only one who can repress the Kyuubi." Her voice is soft; strain that ought to already be present still plays shy behind her willpower.

"I know…" His response is breathless, reluctant.

A silence stretches on for scarce moments (_eons… let it be a lifetime…_).

"I am sorry, Sakura… So sorry…"

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun. I'm not upset." She gives a wry (_though bitterness is curiously absent_) smile. "I knew getting close to you was dangerous. But I chose to anyway."

_//So now I reap what I have sown,  
And any rapture I had shown has bled dry  
And I walked the streets alone,  
Accepting pain I'd never known,  
As you died, you died//  
_

He closes his eyes against her shoulder, a desperate need to erase the image of her eyes smiling down at him overcoming his desire to savour it (_blood will eventually run cold, even in one so warm_).

"You need to go now, Sasuke-kun. If the ninth tail forms, there is no telling what damage will result. And Naruto will… Just _please_ go!" She is becoming distressed. Fear lurks just below the surface. But she still refuses to allow those emotions to be focused upon herself (_a falling petal cares not for its descent, only the wind and its comrades who take the journey with it_).

Somehow, he finds his voice as cold and dead as ever. (_Is this his way of sharing in her fate?_) "If I leave, I'll have to pull my arm out of you and you will bleed to death immediately."

He is acutely aware of his left arm's position through her abdomen, blood and flesh encasing his limb. It is enough to make him want to retch. The only reason he does not is because he has not looked at it yet. He will _not _have that image forever etched within his mind. Her eyes will be enough to torment him well after his descent into Hell.

"I'll die anyway."

How can such damning words sound so sweet? Does she not realize what he has done to her? Does she not comprehend the fact that he has put a massive wound straight through her body with a blade of lightning their own sensei taught him? Is she really so (_forgiving_) ignorant of what he is, not to realize the unpardonable betrayal he has done to her?

Vibrant light within deep green tells him she is just that (_forgiving…_).

"Yes, but it will be sooner if I go right now." (_So cold. How is he even forming words with a throat so frozen? It should come out like the sound of ice floes shifting, trapping unsuspecting seafarers in a death trap._)

"I know…" She continues to run her fingers through his hair, over his shoulders, tracing the kiss of death upon his neck.

Her fingers are cold.

"I'm sorry---"

"I already told you, I'm not upset. You didn't mean to."

"No, I didn't mean to… I never meant to…" His voice comes out scarcely a whisper, weakness irrelevant in this one moment. (_Just this one moment…I admit I am lost._) And some of her warmth is finally seeping into his words. He almost sounded truly apologetic to his own ears.

She is leaning on him, now. Strength gives out, and she drops to her knees. He lays her down, his arm still through her body, preventing the restless blood from rushing out.

"Go now…" It is just a whisper. (_Falling snow screams in comparison…_)

_//Then I hurt myself to see it too,  
To feel the knife I put in you  
My heart as broken as my ways  
I never should've let it pass,  
This fall was never meant to last  
The reason gone and damage stays//_

"Will you be upset with me if I choose to avenge you?"

She gives that (_sad, strong, pained_) smile. "_Yes!_ Don't you _dare_…" She winces in pain, a breath too deep drawing a protest from rent tissues. "Don't you dare…" (_So softly…_)

"I've never promised you anything. I'm not sure that I want to start now." He is being antagonistic. Petulant to the end; he cannot deny who he is. Even to a dying (_and who's fault is that?_) girl (_she is a woman now. But he still sees a twelve-year-old's faith and trust, just as she still sees a lost boy…_).

"Please, Sasuke-kun… Don't…" Quiet. (_Did she even speak?_)

_//All the delicate ways  
That I deepened our graves  
My apology pales  
_

_  
Oh, the pain in your eyes  
My regrets have never known such sorrow  
Oh, the shame that you hide  
Resolutions are the same tomorrow//_

"I finally put all my ghosts to rest, and here I have made another one." (_The ice water is becoming tepid now…_)

"I won't haunt you Sasuke-kun. I won't…"

"But you will, Sakura. You will. You will be a flitting shadow over my every vision. I'll never see the same again…" (_The ice is completely melted. And the water is such that it is impossible to tell where it begins and his corporeal self ends. Complete acclimatization, as it should have always been._)

_//I'm sorry_

_Just what do you think you are doing?_

_My mind is gone_

_I can feel it_

_Goodbye_

__

Count the cost of your final phase  
So much cost your last//  


"Go…now… Naruto…"

"I know… I'm leaving you now." (_Waters deep and calm. But tempests are often preceded by tranquil seas…_)

She offers a small smile, though it is not the least bit strained. (_Giving. Always giving…_) "This time…I won't…try to stop you."

He offers a smile of his own. Bitter and wistful, it will never be warmer than it is now. "This time, all it would take is for you to ask."

Smile still in place, she shakes her head. "Go…"

"Goodbye, Sakura."

_//All the delicate ways  
That I deepened our graves  
My apology pales_

Oh, the pain in your eyes  
My regrets have never known such sorrow  
Oh, the shame that you hide  
Resolutions are the same tomorrow//

He slowly removes his arm and hand from her limp form. (_Her blood feels like the warm water of a calm sea… Is that what he is feeling inside himself? Her blood?_)

"Goodbye… I…love…yo…" And her words die as she does.

It is fitting, that her final declaration of love be cut short as she breathes her last. He has never allowed her to truly show him all that she feels. It is not to be any different in her death. He does not deserve to hear such pure strains come from one such as her, anyway. It is blasphemous to even have heard her say as much as he has. He has no right to steal such a moment from another who is more deserving.

_//Count the cost of your final phase  
So much cost your last//_

A scream to drown out the roars of the nearly fully emerged Kyuubi, tears from the miasmic wasteland of his soul, as his vision is splattered with red. The blood of the slain swims as acid in his eyes, while darkness from the Abyss forms jagged pinwheels that tear at his essence with their unforgiving blades.

Here her legacy to him is formed. Eyes that see nothing but the endless sea of dead; perception veiled with pink, green, and red blending together in a grotesque, unholy manner. And it will never fade. Even when his now cursed eyes can no longer view the outside world, they will forever deliver the sight of when love was killed by a traitor's hand.

_//Oh, the pain in your eyes (the delicate ways)  
My regrets have never known such sorrow (I deepened our graves)  
Oh, the shame that you hide (the delicate ways)  
Resolutions are the same tomorrow (I deepened our graves)  
Deepened our graves//_

End of Track 1

**Guttersnipe's Word: **This is a new series I just started. It will be a collection of unrelated songfic one-shots (though a few _might _span two or three chapters; haven't gotten that far yet). I have tons of songs picked out, so this thing could very well wind up being many a chapter long, hence the title. We'll see. All of the songs used will come from artists I have listed on my profile page. Not all of the fics will be dark and/or tragic, like this one. They will range from dark and twisted (yeah!) to humorous and fluffy (gah!). There will be love relationships and friendships, hate-ships and even no ships. It's going to have variety. Let's leave it at that. Oh, and I'll probably do most of the regular couples and some not so common ones, since I support some of those more than the popular ones. But I don't do slash. It's just not my thing.

Please review! Thanksies!


	2. Track 2: Foreign Language

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Foreign Language" belongs to Anberlin.

Warning: OOC Sasuke, but for a reason. Please don't get all huffy and leave.

**Track 2: Foreign Language**

She was lost in a world of deep grey, with an undertone of crimson. Her eyes were fixed and she saw only the slate darkness and its underlying promise of running red on a whim.

_Those eyes…_ They were staring right back.

Deep and fathomless, his eyes were trained on her own.

But there was something wrong: where were the perpetual scowl and the glare of utter disdain? If these eyes belonged to the person she thought they did, then those two staples of his countenance ought to be in place by now. The first sign of her presence should have demanded it from him; a conditioned response that had probably lost the requirement of effort years ago.

However, his face was blank.

Actually, that was an erroneous description. His face was not _quite _blank. But what resided there was so startling and one could go as far as to say upsetting, that she was not sure _what _to call it.

'It' was not a scowl, nor a sneer. 'It' lacked the severe brow furrow of a full-on glower, but in no way did it denote contentment. 'It' involved no upturned lips, though they most certainly were not turned down in a frown. His eyes were not narrowed, so 'It' could not be a thinly veiled glare, nor were his eyes wide, so 'It' could not be surprise.

She was stumped.

_//Boys speak in rhythm and girls in code  
Doo doo doo doo  
Doo doo doo doo  
Tell it to me straight, give it to me now  
Face forward, face forward//_

"Sakura."

She was pulled from her analysis of his not-expression and attempted to look her addressor in the eyes without drifting into the hypnotic state she had been in from the moment they had met with hers.

…And had he just opened a conversation with her? It certainly sounded that way. He said her name. That was a greeting. Greetings were the openings to conversations. Ergo, he did indeed just open a conversation with her.

It was a sure sign of the Apocalypse. Where were the Four Horsemen? (Perhaps he _was _one of them. Death, maybe? He always was so pale…)

He was still looking at her with that non-expression on his (still flawless) face.

What_ is he looking at? Oh. Right…_

"Sasuke-kun," she answered, her voice sounding so small to her ears. Dear goodness; what a time to be channelling Hinata! (Well, at least she didn't stutter, like she did in her mind. Yes. She stuttered in her _mind_. She had never been so thankful that, in addition to being uber-talented in shinobi skills, the Uchiha boy---no, _man_, was _not _also telepathic. Talk about embarrassing...)

"Where are the others?" Sasuke asked, his face not shifting, infuriating Sakura's inner like no one's business.

What _is that look? What is it?_

"Naruto is on a mission in Suna and---" she stopped herself, realizing that he didn't really care _where _they were, just whether they were nearby or not. "They're not with me."

He raised his head a millimetre; his version of a nod.

_Nodding that pretty head… With that _look_ on your pretty face. _What _is that?_

"You do many missions without them?"

Seriously. _Who_ was this person? Now he was asking about _her_? _Her_! _Haruno Sakura_. Where were the trumpets and confetti, with a banner saying, "JOKE'S ON YOU!" because she was most definitely certain that _he _would never ask such.

"Yes," Sakura answered, slowly. She was now watching him with careful eyes, poised to pick out any more surprises before they threw her off.

"Hn," was his response.

Sakura sagged inwardly. Yeah. What a _surprise._ She should have known her overactive mind was playing tricks on her. There was just no way that _Sasuke _would ever hold a friendly and private conversation with her. Just no way.

_//Boys speak in rhythm and girls in code  
Doo doo doo doo  
Doo doo doo doo  
Tell it to me straight, give it to me now  
Face forward, face forward//_

He walked past her, not casting so much as a nod of farewell behind him.

It was clear that he fully expected her to follow him.

_Can't just say, "Follow me," or, "Walk with me." No, he has to be all subliminally anal and just _assume _that I'm going to follow him. Well, _maybe _I don't want to follow him. _Maybe _I want to go on my way and pretend this little interlude never occurred. _Maybe _I'm not the type of person who is a follower anymore. _Maybe _I am now a follow…ee? Er, ah… A _leader_. Yes. _Maybe _I'm the type of person who _leads_ and has other people follow them. _Maybe _I'm going to stay _right here _and make _him_ follow _me_--- _Oh, come on! _How did this happen?!_

During Sakura's little inner rebellion, her feet, with minds of their own, had moved her to just a step behind a certain tall, dark, and handsome avenger, who had yet to acknowledge her presence trailing after.

She glared down at the traitorous appendages.

_You'll get yours…_

Ignoring the ridiculousness and inanity of threatening one's feet, Sakura turned her eyes back up to the person before her; more specifically, his back. It was all taut cords and muscles, with shoulders that still stood strong and proud.

Sakura vaguely wondered if those shoulders had _ever _been slumped in shame. What about remorse? She doubted it. But she wondered all the same.

_He is so full of surprises, it seems…_

A part of her asked herself why she was just following him, like the submissive little girl she had been those many years ago. She was no pushover now. She was a powerhouse. Her shishou would be appalled to see Sakura slipping back into her old routine of being so acquiescent.

_Yes! Why am I doing this?! I am a force to be reckoned with, not a gentle wind! I. Am. Fierce! Shannaro!_

_I think I _will_ tell him that! I will tell him that I am _not_ to be _ledonI_ am to be the leader from here on out! _

"Sakura," Sasuke spoke, as he stopped and turned to face her. His face still bore that ambiguous expression (if one could go so far as to call it such). "Some things never change."

Not a little peeved that all of her inner bolstering of her nerve to give the Uchiha an earful was now wasted, as he had just stolen the moment from her, Sakura's mind was filled with cries of frustration, and therefore did not fully process said man's words, which resulted in the articulate response of, "Huh?"

_//Speaking foreign language, nothing I can translate  
You're speaking foreign language, nothing I can dictate  
You're speaking foreign language//_

Sasuke kept staring back with that _look_ never making way for another. Even the smirk that preceded his next words did not remove the _look _from his eyes. "You still argue and reason with yourself in your head."

Her face must have twisted itself into the dreaded Em-In-Su Combo---that is, the blush of embarrassment, the wide eyes of incredulity, and the gaping mouth of surprise. Not exactly flattering. No sir.

Her inner began a ceaseless screech of lamentation.

His smirk seemed to widen. "And now you're screaming at yourself."

She could have fainted. But seeing as she _wasn't _channelling Hinata at the moment, she instead slumped a bit and forced her face into a less moronic mask of control and calm.

…She wished. Really, all she accomplished was slamming her mouth closed, toning her blush down to a simmer, and wrenching her eyes back to a normal width, though her brows seemed to like their location, in the middle of her ample forehead. _More space for them_, she mused.

_So he thinks he can be absent from my life for six years and then just happen to stumble back into it by some coincidence of us being in the same village, and he can just _know _everything about me still?! Oh I don't _think_ so! I am _not_ that easy to read. He doesn't still get me! I'll throw a gremlin at you! Mark my words! You are _not_ in control, Mr. Avenger-person! _I_ am! Shannaro!_

"Are you quite finished with your inner-monologuing, Sakura? I haven't got all day." Sasuke was now seated on a bench, a tree nearby littering the wooden seat with a handful of green leaves. He raised a dark eyebrow at her, basically saying, "Are you going to stand there and stare at me until winter? Sit down."

Of course, he wouldn't actually say that. But his features were always very wordy, when he opted to use them. Sakura decided he had a very vocal face, and it was so in order to make up for the little use he made of his actual vocal cords.

_//Boys speak in rhythm and girls just lie  
Doo doo doo doo  
Doo doo doo doo  
Tell me how you feel, come out of the dark  
Then we can head back home and I'll know where to start//_

Sakura sat herself down on the other end of the bench, an ample distant between them.

Because she _wanted _to sit, not because his eyebrow had told her to. And the distance was so he wouldn't think she was trying to get her hands on him, _not _because she was suddenly nervous about the idea of him wanting her to sit next to him.

She clutched at her skirt, fisting it between her strong hands. It was a habit she always implemented when she was nervous, finding its origins in her academy days. And as such, she did not realize she was doing it.

But Sasuke did. He did not comment on it, though. He did not want to make her more nervous than she already was. Sakura got dodgy when she was nervous; it would only waste more time.

"Your mission isn't pressing, that you need to focus on it rather than talk with old team-mates?" Sasuke said, watching her from the corner of his eye.

She stiffened. That was most definitely an insult. Well veiled (his often were), but an insult nonetheless. He gave the pretence that he was inquiring about her mission, and whether he was keeping her from her work, while in truth he was making a comment somewhere along the lines of, "You must be on a low-rank mission if you don't have to be attending to it. I see; you're still too weak for the more difficult ones."

With eyes stony, Sakura clipped out, "It's already finished." She would have liked to have told him that it just so happened to have been a B-rank, and that she had had a _lovely_ time beating the living daylights (and in some instances, the will to live) out of a dangerous gang of thugs, many of whom had been shinobi themselves, thus saving the lives of goodness knew how many people and returning their village back to normal, thank you very much. But she couldn't. Discussing missions with foreign shinobi was prohibited, especially when they were missin-nins. And even though both she and Naruto still saw Sasuke as their team-mate---as a Konoha-nin---the Leaf village did not. He was a missing-nin; someone to be apprehended and incarcerated, then subsequently interrogated by the lovely division of ANBU that handled such tasks.

There was an extended silence between them. And as a gust of wind passed through the tree above them, causing the leaves to chatter, Sakura was struck with a wave of nostalgia. It was so much like the times they would wait at the bridge for Naruto and Kakashi to show up. All that was missing was the quiet trickle of the stream, but the sound of the leaves fluttering was enough to fool her into faintly hearing that too. And the lack of words between them; it was exactly the same.

Sakura glanced over at her companion. His head was tilted down, as he leaned against the back of the bench. Had the bench been the railing of a red bridge, the scene would have been perfect.

And Sakura was fairly certain Sasuke noticed as well. His face was distant and the closest to musing she had ever seen it. Even that ambiguous look had disappeared, leaving only some mild, almost nonexistent nostalgic expression in its wake.

But even though she could name this look, it did nothing to dispel her confusion at his actions. Because being nostalgic, even barely so, was still _extremely _un-Sasuke-like.

_//Speaking foreign language, nothing I can translate  
You're speaking foreign language, nothing I can dictate  
You're speaking foreign language  
Nothing I can translate  
You're speaking foreign language.//_

He was still confusing her. It was so much easier when they were genin. Then she had understood him. There were no words or gestures or expressions he implemented that she could not decipher. It had taken a while, but she had come to be fluent in the unspoken language of Sasukese.

Now, it seemed as though he had developed a creole language; an alteration of the original that was so different, only scarce traces of its predecessor remained.

Sasuke was watching her with _that look_ again. It was almost…almost knowing. Like he knew something about her that even she did not know. And he found it…amusing? _Interesting_. He found it interesting. The item itself or her apparent ignorance of it, she could not tell which was it that held his interest, only that it was _there_.

"You're not going to try to convince me to go back with you?" he asked. Actually, it came out more like a statement, but he meant it as a question, Sakura knew. See; she could still decipher some of what he said and did. She wasn't at a total loss.

"I don't see how I could possibly say anything to make you do that," Sakura answered, watching him for a moment before studying the stretch of bench separating them. "I've already said and done everything I thought might convince you. I have yet to think of something else that would do it. It's not easy to find something that _you_ would find worthwhile."

Sasuke did not respond, and Sakura would have said that he hadn't even been listening, were it not for the nearly imperceptible shift of his shoulders. Did they almost shift…downward? But Sasuke did _not_ slump his shoulders. He was proud to the end. It was not in his body's vocabulary to speak such emotions as shame or regret, which were what slumped shoulders would denote.

It must have been the wind shifting his shirt. That was all.

Sasuke startled her with his next words. It did not even seem as though he had said them. More like an ambiguous onlooker who broke the fourth wall. But she knew his voice and she knew it was him when he said, lowly and almost musing, "You would still do anything for me, wouldn't you?"

She stared at him for longer than she perceived. Strangely, he did not grow impatient. He merely continued to look back at her, dark eyes studying and holding a hidden interest she had never noticed in them when they were laid upon her.

Why was he bringing this up now?

That's right. She had mentioned how she had offered him everything she could think of to make him stay in Konoha. That was why. Apparently, she needed to learn to watch her mouth around Sasuke, lest he actually pursue the topics she dredged up. It was yet another surprise from the usually aloof Uchiha.

Finding her voice, she gave the answer she could tell he already knew. "Yes."

He shifted closer, eyes not once leaving her face, intensity increasing inversely to the change in distance between them. Sakura was swiftly becoming lost. He was not acting as she expected. By all accounts, she should be in tears or focusing on hiding that painful precipitation by now. They had been alone with each other far too long for a scathing remark to not have introduced itself from Sasuke's mouth.

_//Where did we go wrong?  
We need medication for this miscommunication  
Where did we go wrong?  
Our conversation's weakened  
Conversations weakened//_

Yet here he was, looking her in the eye without any malice, nor annoyance, and moving nearer and nearer to her, almost as though he wished to study her being close up, making sure not to miss any detail. What was he looking for so intently? And why was he looking for it? Sakura was at a loss.

When he was close enough for her to feel his body heat, at an almost disconcerting intensity, he spoke. "Why?"

She blinked in confusion, glancing away from his hypnotic gaze for but a moment, before she was drawn back into it, like a magnet to ferrite. "Why what?"

"Why would you do that? You don't even know me."

"I know you."

He gave a wry chuckle, so unlike him. She was steadily becoming more and more disoriented by his actions by the moment. "We haven't been team-mates in over six years. A lot has changed in that time. You didn't know me that well then, you don't know me now."

"I knew you then. I knew you…as best I could," she finished quietly, looking down.

"But not enough to be offering me anything and everything you have. Isn't that right?" he continued, his eyes seemingly endeavouring to catch every detail of her being ten times over.

"No… I… I would do anything for you…because I---"

"Love me?" Sasuke interrupted. "I already established that you don't know me. So, how can you love someone you don't even know? Sakura? You do that for just anyone?"

"No!" she half-shouted, staring him in the eye for a moment before her gaze began to dance about his shirt. He was making her so nervous… "No one else… Just you. It's just for you."

"Why?"

"Because it's you." Her gaze danced between his face and his shirt. "You are Sasuke-kun and I am Sakura. And Sakura makes those kinds of pledges to Sasuke-kun."

He almost smiled here, though it was obviously overshadowed by a smirk. "Obligation without any actual rule dictating it. You do this without reason. You still haven't answered my question. _Why_ do you do it?"

"Because I want to…" she answered slowly, floundering for words he wouldn't reject nor spin around on her. "Because it's the only way I know how to express---to offer anything that might possibly, sort of, almost, maybe be of use to you and therefore has a chance of being accepted by you."

"You crave affirmation from a stranger so badly?"

She started slightly and frowned for a moment. "I crave affirmation from _Sasuke-kun_ so badly. He is not a stranger. He is very familiar to me."

"How do you know me?" He leaned closer still. "You can't possibly know me, Sakura."

"I know you…because…I know you here." She put her hand over her heart, peering into the man's eyes for the first time with no timidity or insecurity.

He looked down at her hand then back up at her eyes.

"You're being presumptuous, Sakura; assuming that I have a heart for yours to relate to."

She didn't miss a beat when she replied, "And _you _are being presumptuous, Sasuke-kun; assuming that I wouldn't be able to find yours if you had gotten rid of it."

He watched her intently, _that look _ever-present. "What makes you think I haven't?"

"Because you still have mine," Sakura answered, eyes intense and serious. "It's still yours. You already have it," she said quietly.

Sasuke watched her for a few more moments, dark eyes tracing her features once, twice, thrice. He had never looked at her as much as he had during their brief meeting on the bench.

He stood suddenly and looked down at her, though he was not being intimidating.

He was ending their conversation, Sakura could tell.

"You're right," he said evenly, as emotionless as ever. "There is nothing you can offer me that could make me come back." He then turned and walked away, shoulders ever straight and proud.

_//Boys speak in rhythm and girls in code  
Doo doo doo doo  
Doo doo doo doo  
Boys speak in rhythm and girls just lie//_

And faintly, she heard him say, "…since I already have it."

**End of Track 2**

**Guttersnipe's Word: **I apologize profusely for the late update. I know I told a few of you that it would come out two weeks after the first chapter, and I apologize for not holding true to that. I had inspiration with a couple other fics I had been working on, but none whatsoever in this fic's vein. And I _know _Sasuke is extremely out of character. I did it on purpose. Most of the fic's content (not to mention the song) wouldn't fit if he weren't. This is set six years after he left. He would have changed. Do I think he would change to become this? Absolutely not! But I just felt like making him do so, just this once. The plot (or lack thereof) required it. And may I just say, this is _the _sappiest thing I have _ever _written in my life. I'm mildly disgusted with myself. I feel all molasses-ey inside. Ugh! Once again, I apologize and I ask that you please review. Mr. Clicky needn't be punished for my tardiness.

As a side, unnecessary tidbit, the song I used for this fic was the sixth one I picked. I had written part of the story (not the beginning. Strangely, I _never _begin writing stories at the _beginning_ of them, but somewhere in the middle of it. Beginnings are usually put in last or in the middle of writing. I know; I'm not in the least bit organized. But I can function no other way) when I decided to look for an appropriate song. Then, as I continued to write, the story began to shift direction, so I had to choose another song, as it no longer matched. I went through that five times, until I settled on this one. And it just popped into my head while writing about Sakura understanding Sasuke's language. So much effort put into the other five choices, and the final product comes from a random prompt. Lovely.

By the way, I'm feeling a Naruto hearts Hinata instalment next; what say you?


	3. Track 3: Blush Only You

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Blush (Only You)" belongs to Plumb, from their album _Chaotic Resolve._

**Track 3: Blush (Only You)**

She is perhaps the stealthiest ninja in existence. Scarcely a word, a mumble, not even a _breath_, can be heard escaping her lips. And when she tracks her quarry, he is never aware of the eyes watching his back.

And she would just _die _(_of fright, of surprise, of _relief) if he were to turn around one day and catch her white gaze with his blue one. The mere thought of such an occurrence forces the blood to her pale cheeks, staining them deep crimson with pent-up emotion.

_//When you look at me _

_I start to blush  
And all that I can see _

_Is you and us  
Well baby I'm so free _

_To be in love  
With you _

_With you...//  
_

He is perhaps the only ninja in existence to be completely unfamiliar with the term 'stealth.' He is all blaring shouts and boisterous vows. His heart beats through the words that escape his lips and he cannot hold it in. He is the embodiment of freedom, despite the dark indwelling that constantly constricts his life.

He craves affirmation from others. He transfers this desire into a dream to be the strongest of the strong. But ever-watching pale eyes see a deeper longing; an urgent need in the depths of his being. To know love from another and to know someone who will _accept_ such a delicate gift from himself.

_//I wanna be in love _

_With only you  
I wanna watch the sky _

_Turn grey then blue  
I wanna know the kiss _

_That's always new  
I wanna be in love _

_With only you  
Just you…//  
_

She spends hours (_days, years really_) training and perfecting, not only her shinobi skills, but her nerve; her _heart_. Because the terror that sends it fluttering like so many butterfly wings in the wind will ruin her one day, she knows. She thinks that rapidly beating organ might just one day up and stop upon catching sight of the one who sets it into such a fevered frenzy.

And it is not so much that he makes her nervous, nor that she fears speaking to him lest he refuse her (though such thoughts are often prevalent in the insecure girl's mind). It is the worry that when she does talk to him---when she steps out of her hiding place to meet his (_far too_) blue (_to be real_) gaze---that he will not see what she has been trying so very hard to drag up to the surface. That he will see the _weird _girl of twelve and not the newly revealed girl of _always._

But her heart tells her that Naruto will always see the truth of a person, even during her most repressed and hidden days. He will see it; _has _seen it, without her ever having to forcibly dredge it up to the surface where the less observant will be able to see it too. He has the best eyes of anyone, as her cousin once said. Her underneath is always top level to his open gaze.

_//Stars will fall_

_And dark will light the way  
We'll hit the ground _

_And fall into the shade  
I'll light the night with fire_

_And run away with you _

_With you…//_

With a countenance that prompts him to tell it as he sees it, there is a mild irony in the fact that the day she allows him to _truly _see all that she has always wished to show him is the day he cannot say a word for his revelation.

But for all of his uncharacteristic silence, his thoughts have never run as clear as they do that day. (And never has another's face rivalled Hinata's flush as Naruto's does at that time, either.)

_//I wanna be in love _

_With only you  
I wanna watch the sky _

_Turn grey then blue  
I wanna know the kiss _

_That's always new  
I wanna be in love _

_With only you//_

The nagging threat (_promise; it feels like a dark promise_) of failure, disappointment, and _shame_ are what weigh down her true self, dragging it back below the surface, where it is wont to dwell, whenever his clear gaze alights upon her steadily reddening form.

The blush… It is the _pressure_, not the uncomfortable pleasure, which prompts her skin to heat so obviously. The inner build-up---of a respect, an admiration, a full-blown _love_ that has gone unspoken for a _lifetime_---presses upon her heart and forces its strength to faster ends. A dead faint is only expected from such a weighty stress. It is the release valve for the pressure.

The day she decides to break open her being for him to see her true heart hiding behind the blush, she is only too thankful for the mellowing drugs running through her veins that slow her pulse and prevent anything close to a flush from creeping through her skin. (_She has never been so thankful for being injured and requiring medical attention in her life. Bless those medic-nin and their precious calming drugs_.)

_//I wanna be in love with you  
I wanna be in love (I wanna be in love)  
I wanna be in love with you  
I wanna be in love (I wanna be in love)_

_I wanna be in love with you...//_

That another person can confess to loving _him_ and not have it turn out to be a cruel joke (_or an even crueller dream_), completely _awes_ the young man. Because in this one instance the truth actually does not hurt. And he almost forgets that pain exists just beyond those pearly eyes that captivate him so.

And there is a comfort in his chaos. A certainty that---despite the fact that he does not understand it, or at times, even believe it---he never has to fear losing this port in the storm; this beauty in the midst of brokenness; this peace in uncertainty. It is climactic and serene all at once, as he continues to wander through his days, but not caring in the least, because he _knows_ all of his rambling will bring him back to _her_, in due time.

He cannot fear when he looks into her eyes. He is not capable of feeling rage when she ghosts across his mind. He cannot feel despondent and worthless with her smiling at him, the rose upon her cheeks.

His past is perfectly powerless against his future with her.

And he thinks that Neji must have been _wrong_ when he said those words to him all those years ago: "You have better eyes than me." Because if that sentiment were true, Naruto thinks he ought to have seen Hinata's _true_ heart long before the girl's drugged confession.

And he ought to have seen his own hidden truth as well.

_//I wanna be in love _

_With only you  
I wanna watch the sky _

_Turn grey then blue  
I wanna know the kiss _

_That's always new  
I wanna be in love _

_With only you  
Just you…//_

But can one really _see_ a heartbeat under normal circumstances? No, they listen to the rhythm of that steady muscle. And perhaps here is his answer: It is not his eyes that are faulty, but his _ears_, for, though he could always see Hinata's true heart, he could never _hear_ its earnest rhythm. Nor could he hear how it echoes his own.

There ensues the years of waiting in (_painful, terrifying, lonely_) suspense, as the two circle each other, one shyly, the other obliviously.

But all that circling leads them into a spiral (_an uzumaki, if you will_) that draws them together so easily, it seems inevitable (a certain Hyuuga cousin calls it fate).

And looking at her now, he thinks that blue can have no better complement than white; the sky and the clouds that show hope and freedom (_and endless, endless perfection; a flawless union_) to all who watch.

_//Just you_

_Just you  
I wanna be_

_Just you//_

**End of Track 3**

**Guttersnipe's Word: **This is my first straight up NaruHina fic. My other ones have only ever had snippets and dashes of the sweetest pairing ever. There's not as much Hinata perspective as there is Naruto, I know. I'm still not very good at working with Hinata's character. I'm more accustomed to writing for Naruto. Sorry. So tell me what you thought. Send Mr. Clicky some loving by reviewing, please!

I _might _attempt a ShikaTema next. Or a ShikaIno. Or a NejiTen. I'm pretty undecided. I suppose it depends on which vein I get more inspiration in. Heck, I might be forced to give another SasuSaku, since inspiration comes much easier for them than any others. (You have no idea how I had to just _pull_ this one out of my brain. I don't know why the cutest pairing has to be so difficult to write for.)

**Coming Soon: Of Fear and Women Chapter 3:** The grand finale to the torture of Sasuke (in this fic, anyway!) will commence soon. I have yet to map it all out, but trust me when I say, the boys of Konoha will never be the same (wink, wink; nudge, nudge; say no more, say no more).

Also, **Public Service Announcement **will be updated shortly. I recently came to the realization that I have not updated that fic in about three months. (_Shame, Guttersnipe_.) I can hardly believe I've allowed Sasuke to be free of mental scarring for a full three months (again, in this fic, anyway)! That simply will not do! So it will be getting a new chapter soon. Neji and Sasuke's diabolical plan to destroy Gai and Lee will commence! (Dun, dun, duuunnnn!) But a twist (of Gai and Lee's minds) will throw a bit of a gremlin into the prodigies' uber-awesome plot! Oh, the return of tormenting Sasuke is going to be sweet!

Later peeps!


	4. Track 4: Startle the Heavens Lament

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Startle the Heavens (Lament)" belongs to Hammock, from their album _Raising Your Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo_.

**Track 4: Startle the Heavens (Lament)**

I could tell that he was sorry. He was sorry that this sacrifice had to be made; that such a steep price had to be paid. He was sorry that he could not find a better way; that he could not continue to guide our village as he had sworn to.

Part of me was lamenting his loss already; a vibrant light flickering out so soon. _Too _soon. (_Perhaps his nickname, The Yellow Flash, was indeed an omen._) He was the next generation, meant to lead our lives into a much greater future. And there he was, about to kill himself.

I was not aware of the truth behind his actions until moments before he followed through on the greatest (_and most terrible_) feat of his life.

And I was _disgusted _at the thought of this action. Forcing a living, moving _hell_ into the confines of an innocent baby? How _dare_ he? Hokage or not, what gave him the right to make such a damning choice for a helpless child? His own life was one thing, but what about the baby's?

I never would have thought he could do something so…_horrifying_.

But then I caught sight of a shock of unmistakeable bright blonde hair in the bundle he held. And blue eyes opened to stare about with startling clarity and depthlessness. My heart clenched as a terrible understanding took hold.

And I never felt more respect for my leader than I did at that moment. Because the greatest shinobi to come from Konoha was breaking the twenty-fifth rule of the ninja. The image of those tears remains with me to this day, reminding me of just how great the sacrifice he made was; reminding me of just how great _he _was.

I cannot imagine the torture that he endured within himself in those scant moments before he sealed the demon fox away, watching his newborn son; the baby so unaware and _flawless_ in his father's arms.

But his task was urgent and _necessary_, though I am certain he searched desperately within his mind for alternatives thousands of times over right up until the moment he acted.

But he did not hesitate. There was just a curiously quiet moment, where father and son watched each other, speaking things no words could ever express and sharing something intangible that one could only hope was somehow imprinted on the infant's soul; a mark to remind him that there was _love_ behind this painful gift; that his father could not possibly hate _anything_ more than he hated himself for having to do such a thing to his own son.

There was such sorrow in his eyes; like a part of his soul had already been rent from his body. But there was hope there, too. A deep and almost _joyous _hope that spoke volumes in the silence.

The Will of Fire. That is what we call it. The strength to endure, the wisdom to choose well, and the fortitude to do what is right and protect Konohagakure no Sato with _all_ we have. Yondaime-sama lived and breathed the Will of Fire, and he sparked ours to new life that night. And regardless of what logic says, I believe he passed it on to his son in that moment as well, in no less intensity than he himself possessed.

He had such pride in his eyes when he watched his son. The innate assurance---no, _knowledge_ that the infant would become a great man, that he would bear this burden following the Will of Fire, was part of it. But what I saw the most in Yondaime-sama's face was the pride of a _father _who was still in awe of his newborn _son_. Everything else was superfluous in the face of something so cherished.

I know that the child did not recognize Yondaime-sama as his father, in those precious moments between them. The baby was far too young, only just born that very day. He would have made no distinction between his crying father and the giant toad upon which they stood. But I would like to believe that somewhere, in the deep and sheltered memories of his unmarked mind, the memory was tucked away for safe keeping, so one day, when the baby became a young man, he might remember what it was like to be held by his father's hands; to be loved so deeply by another without ever having had to _prove_ himself to them.

In the next moment, there was death upon our hearts.

When the sealing was complete, the life left Yondaime-sama; his soul taken by the Shinigami he summoned. His body went limp and dropped to his knees, but somehow the baby boy was still cradled safely from harm. Sandaime-sama took the child from its father and guided Hokage-sama's body to the ground, already motionless in eternal rest.

I have never heard a baby cry so mournfully. I swear he understood. I swear he knew what had just happened to his father; that he was _alone_.

Looking back, it seems like he was lamenting the dark and isolated future that lay before his young life then. He was crying for himself because his father no longer could.

**End of Track 4**

**Guttersnipe's Word: **I know; I cheated. There were no lyrics in this one, despite its inclusion as a songfic. You see, the title is the name of a song, however the song itself is purely instrumental; no lyrics to speak of. However if you heard the song, you would find that it fits quite well with the mood of the story. I've never written a father-son fic before. I really like the Minato-Naruto relationship. It's such a sad tale, theirs is. Oh, and I don't know who the narrator is. It can be pretty much whoever you want it to be, I suppose. So tell me what you thought, please. Mr. Clicky is waiting for you in his corner.


	5. Track 5: Must Have Done Something Right

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Must Have Done Something Right" belongs to Relient K, from their album _Five Score and Seven Years Ago_.

**Track 5: Must Have Done Something Right**

_/We should get jerseys _

'_Cause we make a good team  
But yours would look better than mine_

'_Cause you're out of my league  
And I know that it's so cliché _

_To tell you that everyday  
I spend with you is the new _

_Best day of my life  
And everyone watching us _

_Just turns away with disgust  
It's jealously they can see _

_That we've got it going on/_

"I swear, if you say "troublesome" one more time, I'm going to hurt you!" she growled, clutching a pigtail in an effort to repress her ire, while glaring at the various swatches and pamphlets strewn across the table.

"But it's part of who I am. You can't just expect me to drop such a large component of my personality." He stifled a yawn, watching the small square of visible sky just beyond the window. "You're supposed to try to look past such things and accept me as I am. My feelings could get hurt by your rejection of my ways, you know."

"Whatever, Cry-baby," she sneered, chucking down the indistinguishable colour swatches she was eyeing, defeated by their sameness, despite their differing names. "We'll see how much your _feelings _are hurting compared to your body when I smack you for annoying me."

"Well, I heard that women like sensitive men. It's part of their troublesome quirks," he sniffed, purposely nonchalant.

"Well, perhaps you should check your facts better." She turned on him with dangerous eyes. "The only thing I like a sensitive guy for is that when I _beat_ him I'll have the satisfaction of watching him sob about it like the wuss that all men are."

"Tch," he snorted. "Like any guy would go through something as troublesome as picking a fight with you."

"Oh? Are you actually admitting that fighting me would be futile, since I would definitely win? I'm glad that you've finally learned your place."

He continued to watch the small patch of sky as a tiny cloud showed in it. "More like, I don't see the point in putting out so much effort when it's obvious that you would lose."

"Excuse me?!" Control was out the window, now! There was no way she was letting that one slide. "I don't think you remember who you're talking to! Need I remind you, how I _owned_ your sorry butt during our first Chuunin Exam, _and_ how I've saved you countless times since?!"

"And need I remind you that I technically won our match? I just found it too troublesome to finish the job. And I would have thought of something to get me out of those tight spots, even if you hadn't come around," he murmured with a shrug, studiously ignoring the rising rage emanating from his female companion.

"Oh? Then why didn't you?" Where was her fan? She was so going to dice this jerk! Just where did he get off?

"Mah. It was too troublesome." He waved a hand, then stifled a yawn with the same limb.

"Keeping yourself alive is too troublesome?" she said, incredulous, with hands on her hips. "You are a piece of work! I mean, how can anyone be so lazy?! You're pathetic!"

"I prefer to call it ingenious," he responded smoothly. "Everyone is always looking for a more easy and efficient way to get through life. I've perfected that endeavour. Just because you don't have the vision to understand my tactics, doesn't mean my ways are pathetic." He turned his eyes back on the woman before him, the focus of his attention having disappeared behind the roof of a building.

"You would rather catch pneumonia from lazing about outside watching clouds too long, than get up and go inside when it gets too cold!" she spat, shaking her head. "That's not efficiency, that's idiocy! You just cause yourself more trouble by doing stuff like that!"

"Now, see that? That's what I'm talking about." He leaned back further in his seat, tilting the chair onto its back legs, propped against the wall, and crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. "You don't have the vision to see the beauty of my ways. I won't necessarily get sick, just because I stay outside, lying on the ground for too long. But even if I do, I'll just have to lay in my bed all day until I get better, thus relieving the strain and responsibilities that would have otherwise been thrust upon me, were I well. Either way, it's a win-win. Like I said, efficiency at it's prime."

She watched him with a slightly open mouth and a shaking head, face set into a look of utter incredulity. "You're an idiot," she said in that blunt way he had come to expect of her. "I don't care what they say about your IQ; you're still an idiot to me."

Resisting a smirk, he answered, "And I don't care what you say about yourself; to me, you're still way too troublesome."

Though he may have managed to dodge the kunai hurtling toward his head, his precious ponytail wasn't so lucky.

_/And I'm racking my brain _

_For a new, improved way  
To let you know you're more to me _

_Than what I know how to say  
You're okay _

_With the way _

_That this is going to be  
'Cause this is going to be _

_The best thing we've ever seen/_

It was a wonder she didn't kill him.

Truly, there was no reasoning that could explain her tolerance of him. Even with his mad logistic skills, he could not for the life of him figure her out.

She screamed at him more than she smiled. She insulted and expressed her exasperation with him more often than she ever denoted happiness. She was always saying how she liked a man who was enterprising and motivated. And here she was, with the laziest man to ever come from Fire Country.

Really, it just reaffirmed Shikamaru's belief that all women were nuts; saying everything that was in contradiction to their actions. Honestly, to be in possession of double x-chromosomes was to be inherently hypocritical, of this he was sure.

"It wouldn't kill you to get off your lazy butt once and actually help me out."

He continued to lie in place, eyes closed with arms folded behind his head as he answered, "I didn't want to suppose that someone like you would need help from someone like me. According to you, I'm an idiot, after all. Why would you want help from an idiot?"

"Don't turn my words around on me!" she growled, slamming her tea cup down harder than usual. "If I say I want your help, you help me! That's not a request! I shouldn't have to do this all by myself! _You're_ the one who asked for this!"

"And I've been kicking myself ever since. Why would I do something so troublesome? I haven't been able to figure it out yet…"

"Shikamaru…"

"Hm?"

A very hard, very large, very sharp-cornered book came flying at him, making contact with his exposed stomach and forcing the air out of his lungs.

"Shut up and help me with these plans!" she shouted, eyes narrowed on the gasping man who was curled up on the floor where he had fallen. "I'm not taking anymore of your nonsense! And if you think for one minute that I'm going to tolerate that sort of attitude after this is all over with, you can think again! I have no aversion to inflicting pain on you to get my point across!"

"Look at this," he huffed out, lugging himself into a chair so he could slouch over the table. "I'm already a victim of spousal abuse, and we aren't even married yet."

"And we never will be if you don't help me with these plans!" she snapped, shuffling various papers in annoyance.

He raised a dark brow. "I don't really see the motivation for me to help you then."

"_Shikamaru!_"

"…Troublesome," he muttered under his breath, as he snatched up a nearby booklet of place settings and began to scan the pages of pricey porcelains.

_/If anyone could make me a better person you could  
All I gotta say is I must've done something good  
You came along one day and you rearranged my life  
All I gotta say is I must've done something right  
I must've done something right/_

This was _so_ not a part of his plans. Back in the day, he had had it all figured out: The average looking and tolerable wife, the average position in an average paying job. Not this. An elite position in ANBU did not qualify as average, in any way, shape, or form. And the pay he was raking in for it certainly wasn't average, either.

And his soon-to-be wife… _So_ not what he was thinking of when he planned his future out. Average looking and tolerable. That was what he had been after. And what did he get? A brash, buxom, warrior woman, who was more overbearing than his own mother, that's what! Where did his perfect plan go? At this rate, Shikamaru was beginning to think that his dream of having one girl, followed by one boy, and retiring when his daughter was married and his son was settled into his own career, was never going to happen. With his luck, he would get five kids, all girls, each of them more bossy and troublesome than the next; perfect replicas of their bossy and troublesome mother. Oh, he could see it now…

But then again, he couldn't really see it any other way. His dreams of average everything had never held dimension. They had never been vibrant or tangible. There was nothing in them that he would fight to have, to keep. They were simply…easy; not troublesome.

And every bit as vapid as a cloudless sky.

_/Maybe I'm just lucky _

'_Cause it's hard to believe  
Believe that somebody like you'd end up with someone like me  
And I know that it's so cliché_

_To talk about you this way  
But I'll push all my inhibitions aside  
It's so very obvious _

_To everyone watching us  
That we have got something real good going on/_

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm?"

"What's with that look?"

"What look?"

"_That_ look! Do I have something on my face?" Her hand quickly shot up to her cheek and around her mouth. "Are you _amused_ by something stuck to my face without my knowledge of it?!"

"Temari."

"What? Where is it?" She rubbed furiously at her skin. "Is it gone now? Did I get it? I swear, Shikamaru, tell me these things when you see them, don't just dub them too troublesome, for crying out loud."

"Temari."

"It's not that I'm vain, or anything. I just don't appreciate someone not telling me when something's off, when it would be so simple to just--"

"Temari."

"What?!"

"I like clouds."

She stared at him for a few moments, nothing but pure, unadulterated confusion upon her features. "I…know…that? What?"

"I like clouds, because they're interesting to look at," he elaborated, watching her with the same look that had set her off to begin with.

"Uh-huh." She stared back at him with wide eyes, obviously not following his train of thought.

"The sky is boring without clouds. A normal sky is boring. It's not worth looking at."

"O…kay…?" she answered, unsure. "Shikamaru, have you been falling asleep near the poppy fields again? Because I've heard that they're not really healthy to inhale."

He gave a lazy smirk. "No. I was just thinking."

"Just thinking?"

"Yeah."

"About the boringness of clear skies?"

"Yeah."

"Well…" she trailed off, not sure of how to take their odd conversation. But her dominant side quickly took over again, and she levelled him with a serious glare, though her eyes were smiling, he could tell. "If you have time to think about something as pointless as that, you could be helping me think of the floral arrangements for the wedding! We've only got two weeks! And we would never be so strapped for time if you would get off your lazy butt and actually take the initiative, once in a while!"

He just continued to smile sleepily, as though caught up in a pleasant dream.

_/And I'm racking my brain _

_For a new, improved way  
To let you know you're more to me _

_Than what I know how to say  
You're okay _

_With the way _

_That this is going to be  
'Cause this is going to be _

_The best thing we've ever seen/_

"But I still don't get it," Shikamaru murmured, adjusting his ponytail for the twenty-third time in five minutes. He could hear the murmuring guests as they awaited the ceremony's commencement.

Shikaku turned to his son, scarred brow raised in question. "Don't get what?"

"When I was a kid, and I was saying how I hated women and couldn't figure out why anyone would want to be around them, you said that I'd understand when I was older."

"Yeah, so?"

"So," Shikamaru sighed, "I still don't get why you would marry such a troublesome woman as mom."

"Well, _you're_ marrying a troublesome woman, aren't you?" the senior Nara asked, eyes twinkling as though he knew of some inside joke that his son did not. "You've said so yourself on a regular basis, if memory serves."

Shikamaru gave a lazy, albeit sheepish, smile. "Yeah, but… Dad, she's not_ really _troublesome."

Shikaku smiled back, and clapped his son on the shoulder. "Then you get it."

_/If anyone could make me a better person you could  
All I gotta say is I must've done something good  
You came along one day and you rearranged my life  
All I gotta say is I must've done something right  
I must've done something right/_

**End of Track 5**

**Guttersnipe's Word:** (Sigh) Good ol' ShikaTema. You know they want each other! You just know it! This was such a pain to write, though. I've never written Temari into anything, and I've only ever had Shikamaru as a cameo in my stories, never mind actually writing for them together. The part with Shikamaru and his dad was actually what spurred this chapter. I wrote it long ago, when I was still planning tons of one-shots, and that was going to be the basis for one of them. I have so many stories/chapters waiting in limbo, like that.

As a side note, I am so annoyed by FF's formatting! Gah! The spacing on the lyrics! How appalling! But I can't get it to show up normal!

**Coming Soon:** Either Chapter 4 of **A Family of Sorts** or Chapter 4 of **Of Fear and Women** will be next. It all depends on which comes easier. With the way things have been going, odds are that **A Family of Sorts **will be updated first, as in, this week.


	6. Track 6: Say

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Say" belongs to The Send, from their album _Cosmos._

**Track 6: Say**

_/Tell me you'll wait outside while the sky is pouring grey  
Tell me you need to relieve yourself of me as well  
Help me to feel unashamed as I hang you up to dry  
Try to believe that I need some time not someone else/_

When the village was at his back and the dark forest stretched before him, welcoming him to the void, relief flowed through his being like the wind through the trees.

And it had nothing to do with the new journey he was embarking on, nor the impending power, so close now, he could almost _feel_ it rushing through his veins (_though he continued to ignore the torturous throb in his left shoulder, stabbing in cadence with his excited pulse_).

It was the silence.

The calming nothingness that pervaded his senses, scarcely underlain with the whispering of a breeze, offered such tranquility as he had not known in years. Here he could think upon such vile things as vengeance and not feel guilt for it when he heard the bright laughter of a (_brother_) friend or the ardent promises of…her. Here he could ignore the implications of what he had done and the abhorrence of what he would do. Here their voices could not reach (_they could never lower themselves to such a place; silent as the grave does not befit ones so alive as they_).

But the newly etched memory of desperate pleas and reckless (_though heartfelt, he knew_) promises echoed in that silence. So tempting… (_Just go back. Tell the Sound nins you forgot something. Don't just leave her on a bench. She could get sick, or worse, attacked. Naruto will be pissed. Kakashi will be disappointed. …Sakura will forgive you._)

_/Right now I can't control me  
I don't want to be the one that's holding  
But fine if you would wait this out_

_Say to me you'll wait there forever  
And never leave our love behind  
Say, oh say you'll wait there, you'll be there  
'Cause someday love I'll make you mine  
Someday make you mine/_

Happiness lay sleeping just behind his back (_a dorky nightcap on his tousled head, with a wide, drooling mouth--oblivious; that mask still in place, scarred eye revealed, but closed--ever still; tears streaming down her cheeks, a cold bench a poor substitute for soft sheets--devastated_).

But pain and misery and loneliness lay back there too, beneath undisturbed earth and overgrown weeds, lost in the rot of deceased flesh and long-dried blood. They lay there, still screaming in the agony of betrayal; still restlessly wandering their streets, flowing lacerations leaving never-fading scars upon the walls and floors. And their screams sound like…silence. For the dead have no voice. And while holding nothing but ghosts as companion, he could be ever vengeful, ever hateful. Their mute screams, so loud to his ears, offered him the quietude his dark path required.

When boisterous laughs and soft requests and deep directions began replacing his screaming silence, his focus slipped. How could he plot revenge upon his brother when his new brother was acting so ludicrous, forcing him to better, stronger ends, replacing the hate with happiness? How could he seek out a way to kill for the dead, when his sensei taught him to fight for the living? How could he fill his life with nothing but ink-black hatred, when she was offering her heart with such little concern for how he might break it?

But now… Now he could hate. Now he could plot murder. Now he could destroy the world, if need be. In the silence, he was no longer their Sasuke. In the silence, he was brother's shadow (_trailing after, always chasing, ever emulating that which it follows_).

In the silence, there were no promises. Hearts ceased beating and breath stilled.

(_"Or, if you can't stay, take me with you!"_)

She could never be with him. Not here.

_/Tell me you'll be alright if I put you on a shelf  
Tell me that you need to wait for me, not someone else/_

He could scarcely recall a time when soft, warm flesh would accidentally brush against his own, instead of harsh, cold scales.

There was a vague curiosity in the farthest reaches of his mind that wondered if it was still so soft--her skin. Was it scarred from battle, or flawless as it had been the day (_night_) he left (_her on a bench, leaves floating through the sky_)?

But she was so strong now. He had seen it in her eyes. And with that indomitable fervour to prove herself, he had no doubt that she had gotten into a good number of scrapes (_but nothing she can't heal_). Scars to tattoo her flesh--gentle tendrils and harsh gashes--no doubt speckled her skin with their palette of light and dark tones. And without a doubt, they were beautiful. Permanent kisses from death's passing; caresses from life's lover.

A nearly uncontrollable urge to see these scars for himself, not just in hypothetical creations of the mind, was almost as strong as the desire for her voice. Just one word. A whisper. A hum. Anything would do.

How many years had it been since that night? Three? Four? Perhaps it was upwards of five? He couldn't remember, in all honesty. Time was nonexistent in his silence. Nothing flowed as it should when living underwater in a desert of sound. Even the echoes lay in eternal rest here. He could not even hear her voice in his thoughts; only the slither of scales against stone and cringe-inducing cackles from a hissing mouth.

_/Right now I can't control me  
I don't want to be the one that's holding  
But fine if you would wait this out_

_Say to me you'll wait there forever  
And never leave our love behind  
Say, oh say you'll wait there, you'll be there  
'Cause someday love I'll make you mine  
Someday make you mine/_

Those promises… He would love to hear them again. Earnest and honest--purely her. He would like to hear that again.

But did they still hold true? Was there acceptance to be found in an abandoned girl, her heart so trampled by his quickly fleeing steps?

It hurt him to hope for it. But so did accepting its loss. There was just something within him that refused to kill that unspoken and ignored (_maybealmostkindof_) dream.

Silent voices berated him for his arrogance; his selfishness. To suppose, even for a moment, that she should wait; that she _was_ waiting. Was there no end to his self-centred sense of entitlement? Had he not taken enough? He had already stolen her confidence in him, their team, and herself; robbed them all of a complete team--a family; took friendship back--spat on it; took her offering of everything she had to give and handed it right back to her in a sharp rap to the back of the skull. He did this, not remembering (_or perhaps he didn't know; mother wasn't around long enough to tell him such things_) that a heart never sits properly in place after it has been removed and given to another. Giving it back only cuts it up, as the reluctant owner tries to force it back into a spot no longer shaped for their own heart, but for another's--the person's whom their rejected heart was intended for.

(_So careless… So cold… So like_ him…)

He had no right.

But he hoped nonetheless; quietly and calmly, as always. He would never let on to his internal longings. That was dangerous behaviour for a heartless avenger, after all.

But he _did_ hope.

_/Tell me you'll wait outside  
__Tell me you'll wait outside/_

Her face held tears and the same distressed look it had when he left her on a bench those seven years ago. Limpid eyes closed, yet clearly troubled. Tears trickling out in placid rivers, tracing her cheekbones as they flowed into her hair. A fist clenched desperately with nothing in hand but the emptiness he gave her.

But the stone bench was replaced with muddied earth, a blanket of blood giving the illusion of wine-coloured sheets rumpled by a lovers tryst, rather than disturbed earth heaved by the pressure of a hate-filled battle.

Such a beautiful sight. And if he forced his eyes to train only on her, leaving the reddened earth for his less-focused peripheral to view, he could almost believe she was sleeping. In a bed he laid her down in. Just resting for a while. Soon she would open her eyes, cast about in sleepy confusion for a moment, and then smile _that_ smile at him, green eyes bright and saying all the things her mouth wasn't fast enough to get out.

She would speak to him again. Say his name. Laugh. Repeat her promises over and over again.

And this time--_this time_--he would say thank you without knocking her out. He would thank her to her face.

_/Right now I can't control me  
I don't want to be the one that's holding  
But fine if you would wait this out_

_Say to me you'll wait there forever  
And never leave our love behind  
Say, oh say you'll wait there, you'll be there  
'Cause someday love I'll make you mine/_

But the wet caress of escaped life at his feet dashed that fantasy.

She was gone just as surely as her blood slowly flowed downhill, in a much similar manner as her tears slid down her skin.

It was twisted and not at all right, but he couldn't help but feel some measure of contentment. Because those tears and saddened eyes spoke volumes to him.

She had waited, just as he had secretly hoped she would. It hadn't worked out the way he had wanted. She was supposed to wait at home. In his mind, he could still see her on that bench. He had sealed that visage away in a dim corner of his mind, a part of him envisioning her still there in that same spot, waiting for him to come back and say yes to her promises. He could never admit it, but that was how he pictured it; in an almost childlike fantasy, that was how he saw it.

But she pursued him. Gave chase and called him back. Begged and threatened, cried and cursed. All the same, she was waiting. The kind of waiting a heart does when it misses a beat at the touch of a lover's hand: It pauses and then speeds up, moving faster in an ardent quest.

Her faithful waiting had earned her wish, though she would never know it now, lying there on blood-softened earth.

So this time, as he watched another tear slide past her lashes, he would not deny her request. And instead of laying her down and walking away, he would pick her up and carry her with him, a whisper of gratitude on his damp lips.

_/Someday love I'll make you mine  
Someday love I'll make you mine  
__Someday love I'll make you mine_

_Someday make you mine/_

**End of Track 6**

**Guttersnipe's Word:** When I thought of songs for Sasuke and Sakura, this was pretty much the first one I thought of. It's just perfectly them. Sweet but sad. This turned out a little darker than first intended (which makes it contrast with the _sound_ of the song terribly, but oh well). I suppose it's almost impossible for me to give these two a happy ending, unless it's in a crack! fic. But one does get the sense that they are a tragedy in the making. I suppose that's why I tend to kill one of them off, but so far only Sakura. I'll kill Sasuke eventually too, though. I believe in equality for the sexes! Please give Mr. Clicky a visit and review!


	7. Track 7: Flattery

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Flattery" belongs to Aly & Aj, from their album _Insomniatic_.

**Track 7: Flattery**

A dark form shadows an open doorway, standing before a light form. She—the light form—is someone who is not cloaked in bloody scars and inky malevolence like he—the dark form—is. And he looks down at her with well-veiled urgency, apparently apathetic in regards to the person before him. But he is the one who chose to come here _to_ her.

She does not recognize the importance of this. The light form only sees unrepentant selfishness. And he cannot blame her for that. He really cannot.

_/Please, don't flatter yourself  
You're not the only one  
This heart has ever felt  
Please, don't exaggerate  
Don't tell me you're okay  
Okay, okay/_

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry for wanting you to stay? Do you want me to apologize for asking you to give up on revenge? I'm not sorry for that. And I'm not sorry for attempting to stop you from getting revenge on your own."

"I don't need your apology. I don't _need_ anything from you."

The light form shakes her head, throwing up a hand in a tired question. She does not have the will to listen to this anymore. She has not had it for some time.

"Then what are you talking to me for? You can take your _non_-guilt trip somewhere else, because I don't want to hear it."

"You're just being stubborn now, Sakura."

A sardonic glint shifts through the light one's eyes.

"Well, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

_/I will admit it, if you admit it  
It's harder then we both thought  
It's easier to fall apart  
Look where we are  
I can forgive it, I can't forget it  
You left me here with all these scars  
And you can't deny the hardest part  
__I'm not in your arms/_

The dark one frowns, barely. His apathy is safety. And this is dangerous ground.

"So this is all about getting your own revenge, is it? Retribution for those years?"

"No, Sasuke."

The dark form flinches slightly at the missing honorific, the movement barely extreme enough to call it such. But a slap would have felt softer.

The light one doesn't notice. She is vindictive and she will not desperately search for reactions she has long stopped wishing for.

"I'm not like you; I know when to let something go. And I let everything related to you go a long time ago."

He scoffs, eyes dimming. But she does not know that there had been a light in them to begin with. She is certain that they are always void of life and light. Tonight would be no different, she thinks.

And she is wrong. Or was. She is right _now_, now that her words have smothered the small spark.

_/We're more hurt than we appear  
The world will never know  
We both have tasted tears  
My dear  
You're denying what I say  
Don't act like it's okay  
_'_Cause it's not okay/_

"All that talk about bonds… It was all just a farce to justify your attempts to bring me back and have your own revenge. How duplicitous."

"No. It _was_ about our bonds. I held onto that for as long as I could. Longer than I should have, but I'm known for attaching myself to things that are best left be."

Slate eyes narrow. A pale jaw clenches in sync with two lightning-scarred fists.

"But a one-sided commitment can't last, no matter how strongly the one side holds on. Eventually, they realize that they are grasping at thin air, nothing more, and that's not going to save them from falling."

The dark head drops an imperceptible millimetre. Eyes lower to the shadowed ground.

"So, I'm not sorry for trying to stop you. And I'm not sorry for not wanting to see you. I gave you more than I should have; it was high time I began looking after myself, instead of someone who didn't need it or want it."

_/I will admit it if you admit it  
It's harder then we both thought  
It's easier to fall apart  
Look where we are  
I can forgive it, I can't forget it  
You left me here with all these scars  
And you can't deny the hardest part  
__I'm not in your arms/_

He does not move—a misplaced statue.

"You're not sorry for those things, but you do regret caring enough about me to do them? That makes next to no sense."

"So did my obsession with you."

"Which you say you were wrong about."

"Yes."

His head rises slightly. Dark eyes are back on her, but still, she cannot see them.

"So, if you were wrong about that, you can be wrong about this, since they are both such illogical ideas."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

It is her turn to scoff, crossing her arms over her ribs and casting sharp eyes on his shoulder. Even if she cannot see his face in the shadow, she cannot make herself look at him properly.

"Because I'm not the silly little girl I was then. I know better."

"Just like you thought you knew better then."

_/It's not in the cards  
It's not in the stars/_

She gives a careless wave and shakes her head, sending light locks tumbling.

"The naiveté of youth. I'm all grownup now, Sasuke."

The dark form does not flinch this time at the harshness of his name on her lips. But his eyes do blink slightly faster than normal, just once. Still, she cannot see it.

"And in another ten years' time, you're going to view your present self as naïve and foolish. And you'll regret this decision too."

"I highly doubt that."

"Yet I _know_ it will happen."

Bright eyes harden; granite within soft flesh.

"You may leave now."

He cannot help but point out the incongruence in her request—a wound begs for more pain so that it might be ignored.

"You wanted me back, now you want me gone. What was the point, Sakura?"

_/I'm not sorry  
__I'm not sorry  
__You're not sorry/_

Her eyes snap up sharply, staring at the abyss where his eyes are. She only sees blackness; shadows within shadows and she cannot discern the difference.

"The point was, I loved you. The point was, I needed you."

"And now…?"

"And now the point is, I _don't _need you. The point is, I forgive you, so if you develop the ability to feel remorse someday, you don't have to come seeking me for forgiveness; you already have it. The point is, just because I forgive you doesn't mean I want to have anything to do with you."

"That's it then? That's how you want it to be?"

"Yes, it is. Now, if you'll please leave; I think this conversation has long outlasted its welcome."

The dark form stops just outside the door, shadowed back facing her.

"You forgot to mention the most important point, though."

"What?"

_/I will admit it if you admit it/_

""And the point is, I don't love you anymore." You forgot to say that."

A hesitant silence sweeps in; nothing but the moon and wind to create ambience in the night.

Her words are solid—unforgivable.

"And the point is, I don't love you anymore."

A rueful smile twists the dark one's lips, face now brightened by the night's luminance, but the light one will never see it.

_/Just please, don't flatter yourself  
Please, don't flatter yourself/_

"Now thatmakes sense."

Hearts shatter into nothingness but they never make a sound.

**End of Track 7**

**Guttersnipe's Word:** Hmmm… I've never used this style before. It's very bare and a little awkward. But I wrote out the conversation first, no description. And when I thought of elaborating on it, going "he said," "she said," I couldn't see my usual wordage going in between the lines. It is what it is, as it were.

And please review, people! I just want to know that you got through it. There's no need for fancy talk. But please do drop a word.


	8. Track 8: Breaking

The Eternal Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_. That copyright belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

"Breaking" belongs to Anberlin, from their album _New Surrender_.

**Track 8: Breaking**

/Do you memorize theatrical lines  
That seem to lead them in?  
Play the role with the good girl heart  
Had the tangled webs within  
Who was it that led you on  
That makes you want to hurt me so?  
Who do you want to forget?  
Who forgot you long ago?/

There comes a time in every man's life when, regardless of his usual carefree spirit, the games and run-arounds of so-called love are simply not enough anymore. When those insincere actions become less game and more pain, as he realizes they are damming the truth, building up such a crushing weight behind false pretences to the point where, any day, it will smother his existence to nothingness if he does not act.

Naruto was not a thinking man, nor was he ripe in emotional maturity. But this truth was undeniable, even to him. It was simply life, reminding him that the way he saw the world wasn't always the way the world saw fit to behave. And how he saw others wasn't always the way others were.

"You love him."

It was a simple statement. But it was one of the most difficult things he had ever had to say in his life. Because, though he had said those words before, he had not had the added understanding then that the new epiphany life had recently delivered now afforded him. He understood now what those words meant. Not to say he did not comprehend the meaning of love as a thirteen-year-old—one as ardent in the quest for acknowledgment as himself would have to know what love was, since that was what he was really seeking all along—love through acknowledgement; acceptance; to be cherished. But his eyes were shrewder now, his mind more discerning. And he understood.

/Do you still feel him  
Calling in the air tonight?  
Do you still feel it?  
Seems like you've done this before/

Love is not a refined emotion. It cannot be schooled and tamed, formed into shapes to fit whomever. It is raw and solid, meant to be as it is, never anything more nor anything less. It can only be what it is, as it is, when it is.

Love is unique. It is as unique as the person who experiences it; as unique as the person who receives it. And they both have a hand in creating the natural form it will take, specially spun into existence by and for them and them alone. No one else.

_No one else._

/You make breaking hearts look so easy  
Seems like you've done this before  
You've got breaking hearts all but down  
Have you done this, you've done this before  
You make stealing hearts look so easy  
Where is the girl I adore  
You've got breaking up all but down  
And I can't love a thief anymore/

Though he understood, he had to try, just once, _really_ try to make her see. He was a man of action, after all. He would not be Naruto if he did not dare to achieve the impossible.

"You love him, but I love you." His voice was subdued, contemplating—_pained_. "It's...not fair, Sakura-chan. I _love_ you! And it's not fair that you don't love me back." He stared into her eyes as he spoke, ardent and honest to a fault. He wasn't being whiny. He was simply asking why. Why not him? Why couldn't he be the one for her the same way he knew she was the one for him?

She watched him quietly for a moment, assessing him dispassionately. Her voice was flat when she replied. "Yes, it's not fair. But it's not fair that he doesn't love me when I love him, either. So the point is pretty much null then, isn't it?"

"No! You could stop—" He paused abruptly, taking a deep breath. That wasn't what he wanted to say. That wouldn't make her understand. He began again. "You could see that I'm here for you. I wouldn't hurt you. I'd make you happy. You could love _me_, Sakura-chan."

Her head shook with a small shrug, face set like glass. "Or you could just stop loving me. Or he could stop loving hate and start loving me."

Her voice was so vapid, but Naruto did not miss the small tremor when she spoke the last line. And it stabbed at him. (_The thought of letting him go hurts you. I know that pain. I feel it every time I see you and know that you're thinking about him. Not me._)

She went on, either not noticing or pretending not to. "Or we all could stop and look for completely different people. But it's not that simple, Naruto. He won't stop and I won't stop."

"And I won't stop," he added, his voice a low sadness.

With the clarity he had gained, he had also realized something about his own emotions. Something that was disheartening and wonderful in its own right. She loved another man. He could not change that. But he loved her. And she could not change that. It was created by him and created by her, even if she had done so unintentionally. It was brought about for them and them alone. No one else. And even if she wanted no part in it, it would still always be for her. No one else.

/Do you collect the souls you've lost  
In the top of your dresser drawer?  
Count the number of tears displaced  
On lonely bedroom floors  
A machine where your heart once was  
Slowly takes the place of you  
Only hold the memories now  
Of the love I thought I knew/

There was a strange light in her eyes as she watched him. That apathetic facade was all an act, anyway. He knew that (_I know your heart is hiding from me, but I can still feel it_).

And it broke then, showing..._anger_. A pained anger, which surprised him, though he tried not to show it.

"You're so determined not to give up on me. Nothing will deter you," she spoke slowly, condescension in her tone, as he had never heard her use. "So don't be so self-involved to think that you're the only one who will never give up; that you're the only one whose goal and dream shouldn't be given up on." That pretty face was trying to be hard, but Naruto saw tears hidden behind carefully controlled eyes. "Don't you dare ask me to stop loving him when you refuse to stop loving me." The sharpness of her voice dulled slightly as she spoke, "We're both quite unfortunate to fall for someone who doesn't love us back. But do not belittle my feelings by asking me to let go of them while you hold fast to yours. That is not fair."

"But Sakura-chan—"

"Naruto, please just stop. _Please._"

The cold grip of understanding was slowly winding its way around him, strangling the urgency, the desire, and the _need_ out of his words. He was fighting a losing battle and his energy to persevere, despite the odds, was quickly waning, like so much sand through a fist.

"I...can't do that," he finally spoke, defying defeat, even if his voice did not hold such conviction.

"And I can't do this," Sakura sighed, slouched shoulders shifting under the tension she felt. "So, could you just agree to ignore it until you begin to forget?"

It felt as though she had just slapped him in the face. "I'm not going to—!" he half-shouted, nearly outraged (_hurt. It hurts so bad...this feeling_). Calming himself, he began again. "Sakura-chan. This isn't some random conversation that I'm barely listening to. This is about what I _feel_. I could never forget about the way I feel. Especially not about you."

There was a smile on her lips, small and wry, and completely without humour. Such an insincere smile did not belong on Sakura's face. The hint of pity in her eyes made a lump grow in his throat to accompany the earnest ache in his chest. He hated being pitied (_I'm stronger than that. I don't need such empty emotion. Just you. I only need you..._).

/Do you still feel him  
Calling in the air tonight?  
Do you still feel it?  
Seems like you've done this before/

"You pick the worst things to hold onto, Naruto." Her voice came out soft and irreverent, bringing him to loathe the sound for the first time in his life. She should never talk like that. It was so...foreign. She was making great efforts to not be herself when all he wanted was _her_. And perhaps that was exactly why she was doing it. "Sasuke-kun. Me. Neither of us is healthy for you. Neither of us feels about you the way you feel about us."

Sharp blue narrowed on defensive green. "What are you saying? Sasuke is my friend!"

"You dream of being friends with him again, but you have no place in his dreams." Her words were so biting he flinched, as she continued, "When is it going to finally hit you?"

"Sakura-chan—"

"He left you—"

"Sakura-chan—"

She continued as though she didn't hear him. "He left me. He'll come back over his dead body, so unless you want to devote the rest of your life to becoming a head-hunter, you should just stop." An obvious tremor formed in her voice that she could not pretend did not exist, and a sorrow showed in her eyes that had him aching to console her—made him ache even more when he realized he wasn't the one who could do that. "Just _stop_ already, Naruto! He. Is. Gone. Consider him a ghost; let it rest." Her green sight turned down to the ground when they took in his expression, guilt pulling her shoulders even lower, as she obviously realized what he would think of her words.

"No life deserves to be thrown away," he said, voice low and rough, teetering between love for his friend and rueful envy of the same man (_she's yours and you aren't here holding her. What kind of man are you?_). "To let him go, as if he were giving up the ghost, when he's still alive...that's not something I can do. It would be like saying his life doesn't matter. But it does. It matters to me...and it matters to you, Sakura-chan. At least admit that. Admit that I understand that much about you."

/You make breaking hearts look so easy  
Seems like you've done this before  
You've got breaking hearts all but down  
Have you've done this, you've done this before  
You make stealing hearts look so easy  
Where is the girl I adore?  
You've got breaking up all but down  
And I can't love a thief anymore/

Pink hair swayed as she shook her head, watching the trees before looking at her companion again. "It's not about how I feel or how you feel. Everything is _stuck_. It's all in static. How long have you postponed your advancement up the shinobi ranks because you've been chasing someone else chasing his obsession?" Shifting, her voice muted slightly, trying to hide emotion within the low tone. "I know that I have spent enough years chasing madly while everyone still just walks on past. We're not moving forward. We haven't for a long time. It's enough. For _all_ of this."

It was very clear to Naruto what Sakura was saying without being blunt. She was tired of it all. Of following a disappearing man and of pretending it did not bother her that a man she did not love was still constantly seeking her heart when she simply could not give it to him. But there were half-truths hidden within her words, as well. The lies her lips could spill were often entirely convincing, but she could not fool Naruto when it came to her heart. She could not stop loving the man who had broken her heart, but the years had taken their toll and the struggle to chase after the stolen pieces he had kept was too much. She was taking a different approach to putting her heart back together.

"You always look toward the village gates when you talk about him, you know."

Her head jerked up, surprise overshadowing the tense discomfort in her eyes.

"It's like you're expecting him to come back from the way he went. You're done chasing, but you're still waiting."

"..."

/You make breaking hearts look so easy  
You've got breaking hearts all but down/

She wasn't going to answer him, but he knew. He knew her so well, and she him. They both held no illusions as to where this would end, but neither tried to stop it. It needed to happen. Anguishing as it was, they both needed this. Life can only be held in limbo for so long. They needed escape. Even if it meant facing a spectre that had been shadowing their steps for a decade.

"I'll never hurt you. You know that, don't you?" he spoke quietly, blue eyes watching her with the pain and longing of a lifetime of wishes and need and love (_still wishing, still needing, still loving..._).

"I know, but...I will hurt you," she answered, her voice gentle, easing his heart over the cliff.

A smile struggled through his drawn features, tenacious as ever (_always smiling_). "I don't know; I'm pretty strong."

"So am I," she replied, with the same smile on her own lips.

He gave a jerking nod, accepting what she was saying (_deep down, I always knew. But I hoped... I wished... You're one dream that's never going to come true_).

/You make breaking hearts look so easy  
Seems like you've done this before  
You've got breaking hearts all but down  
Have you done this, you've done this before/

He turned to go, back straight, head bent, when he paused and half-turned to her. "If... If you could..." He paused, taking a small breath. (_This is it_.) "Could you ever wait for him _with_ me, Sakura-chan?"

Watching his back—a very familiar sight—she recognized the finality in his question. "No." She smiled wanly, though he didn't see it—he wasn't looking at her and she was left looking at his back. "You don't wait, Naruto. You _chase_."

"And he runs." The man's voice came out low, distant.

"Yes. But he has to have a destination."

"Waiting for him."

"Yes."

Shifting forward, away from the woman behind him, he stared out at the darkened faces of the mountain in the distance, seeing entirely different visages in their place. His voice was strong and sure when he finally spoke. "If I'm chasing him, then my destination is the same as his."

"Naruto..."

A rare, rueful smile quirked his lips at the sound of her voice saying his name. As he began to walk, he called back quietly, "I just hope it's waiting for me when I catch up, even if he's the only one who gets to stay there."

/The best you could hope to be  
Is now just a bittersweet memory and  
You make breaking hearts look so easy/

**End of Track 8**

**Guttersnipe's Word:** Oh my. This is the first NaruSaku I've ever done. Granted it is one-sided on Naruto's part, but I just can't make it reciprocal. I just can't envision these two together. I don't support incest pairings, and I consider Naruto and Sakura to be siblings, wholly and completely. Or, at the very least, cousins. But far-too closely related for it to be appropriate for them to be more than friends.

Thanks for reading! Please review.


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